The new DM-40D is a good sounding, grown-up looking speaker aimed at entry-level DJs and DJs/producers that does all the basics well and has some thoughtful compromises and design features.
Anyone looking for a monitor that can be used for DJing and production alike should read this review and perhaps take a look.
Installation and first impressions
The speakers look the same as the half decade old DM-40 speakers. (Which are replaced with the DM-40D).
Sober, traditional-looking, vinyl-covered black wooden boxes, boxy but rounded, with molded plastic fronts and metal backs. It's a tried and true design and we can't complain about the build quality. They are equipped with a 5-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter, which were aligned to the front.
The "primary" speaker (the one on the left) has RCA and 3.5mm mini-jack stereo inputs, the power supply and on/off switch for the amplifier, and the terminals for connecting the simple "bell wire" style speaker cable supplied for the other, secondary speaker. With this design, one speaker is active and the other is passive.
The main speaker also has a volume control (for both) on the front and a white light that illuminates when the power is on. There is also a useful 3.5mm headphone jack on the front.
The most important "new" feature is a switch labeled "DJ" and "Production". This activates two modes of the built-in DSP depending on the application purpose, in order to optimize the sound between these two application areas.
To set up, you position the speakers, connect the speaker cable and power supply, plug in a source (a 3.5mm mini-jack cable to 2 x RCA is included) and you're ready to go....
In use
The first impression surprises the DM-40D deliver at this price. Full sound, decent bass for the size of the speaker, nice and clear.
In terms of volume, the speakers can get loud without overdoing it too much and remain clear and present even at high volumes.
You should not use such speakers for parties or plan for larger sound reinforcement. They are near-field monitors that are at home in Dj and studio environments and feel comfortable in decently loud environments.
The DJ/Producer switch:
In Producer mode, you get a relatively flat frequency response, clear bass, mids and treble. They sound much more neutral and "real".
In DJ mode, the basses are a bit more boomy and accentuated, and the mids are slightly pulled back to give the impression of a "fuller sound," but at the expense of some transparency.
The idea behind this is that in DJing the extra bass is usually intentional, since unlike production you don't need a neutral sound image.
The difference between the two modes is noticeable (albeit very subtle), but ultimately more of a gimmick than a real feature. The positioning and correct placement play a much bigger role in the correct sound image.
Ideally, DJs should position the speakers so that they are angled upwards. This allows the tweeters to radiate in the direction of the ears, which delivers the best sound image. Wedges or speaker mounts can help here.
Summary
The Pioneer DJ DM-40D is a good and compact speaker system. They can't stand up to comparison with entry-level dedicated monitor speakers (e.g. Rokit 5 or HS5), but they cost much less and are much easier to set up and ready to go.
The DJ/producer button is honestly more marketing than a real feature. The difference is subtle and not of great importance in practice. But you don't even have to use the button. Just leave the button set to "Producer" and align the monitors correctly for best results.
The headphone jack on the front has certainly proven to be very practical if it takes longer in the evening and the neighbors' ears should be spared.
The DM-40D are solid speakers for DJs and producers that sound decent and are quick to set up.
If you don't feel like tangled cables, you can also buy the Bluetooth version of the DM-40D and can relax without cabling at the workstation.
